


You and I

by AnonymousJedi



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Angst, Eventual Romance, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Learning to trust, Reylo - Freeform, Romance, Training
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-04
Updated: 2017-11-04
Packaged: 2019-01-29 07:46:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12626400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnonymousJedi/pseuds/AnonymousJedi
Summary: Reylo, set after the events of Episode VII. Rey and Kylo each begin their training only to find themselves more conflicted than ever. Through their newly discovered force bond, they come together in search of belonging. This will be a romance between Rey and Kylo.





	1. Chapter 1

Rey wakes with a startled gasp, inhaling desperately as if she’d been underwater rather than merely asleep.

The darkness of the room is all-consuming, as it is still the middle of the night. Sitting up, Rey glances out at the stars through her window.

  
She still can’t decide whether these are dreams, visions, or something else entirely. Whatever they are- they’re becoming more frequent. And while the subject matter varied, they all inevitably ended the same way: with a vague silhouette of darkness encroaching upon her until everything goes black and she wakes up unable to breathe.

  
With a sigh, Rey forces herself to lie back down. She knows she needs rest for tomorrow. Luke had been training her for two weeks now. Mostly meditation up to this point. He’d been rather insistent that she master the mental exercises before tackling anything remotely dangerous. Rey understood to a degree. However, logic did little to keep her fingers from itching to hold a lightsaber once again. Luke promised that tomorrow would be that day.

  
Rey had never felt as powerful, or as in control as she did while fighting Kylo back on Starkiller Base. It had been… _liberating_ in a way she only could have imagined up to that point.

  
In bed, she smiles giddily, imagining what it will be like to hold the weapon in her hands again. Tomorrow is going to be a good day.

  
Mind now racing, Rey finds the idea of sleep unlikely. She opens her eyes, gazing up towards the ceiling when a strange feeling overcomes her. It’s subtle but distinct, and all too familiar. It feels as if… someone is watching her. But that isn’t possible, Rey reminds herself. It’s only she, Chewie, R2 and Luke on Ahch-To, after all. Nevertheless, she glances around the room suspiciously.

  
Nothing.

  
Rey can’t help but wonder where the unsolicited paranoia is coming from. This recurring feeling seemed to hit her sporadically. Sometimes while she’s meditating. Or spending time with Chewie on the Falcon. Or exploring the island. Or attempting to sleep. There’s no discernable pattern to the episodes- only the spine-tingling, irrational feeling that she is being suffocated. As if someone is invading her personal space. And yet there’s no one there. It simply doesn’t make any sense.

——————————

“Sleep well?” Luke asks the following morning.

  
“Not bad,” Rey lies easily, brushing off the subject of her insomnia. She strides past her master with confidence, heading towards their designated spot on the mountain for mediation.

  
Luke eyes her curiously, but follows the girl’s lead. The sound of rock and vegetation crunching under their feet is all-consuming as they trek up the hill in silence.

  
Rey abruptly plops down into a sitting position without having to be told. She crosses her legs and closes her eyes, inhaling deeply as she tries to find focus.

  
Luke stands before her, calm and contemplative. “You’re forgetting that I can sense when you distance yourself from me,” he notes dryly. “What troubles you, Rey?”

  
Her eyes fly open, wide and perturbed.

  
“Nothing,” the scavenger insists stubbornly.

  
Luke dislikes the attitude she can exhibit at times.

  
“We cannot move forward in your training if you are not honest with me. Have we not spent these past weeks on establishing clarity of mind and open communication?”

  
Rey sighs in defeat. “Yes Master,” she agrees solemnly, though to be honest, she is beginning to resent the total transparency Luke demands from her while he remains completely cut off from everything and everyone. She had tried prodding him for information. About Han and Leia. About Kylo. About his past with the Empire and the Republic. But _kriff_ he gives her nothing, and it drives her absolutely crazy.

  
Luke takes a seat on the ground across from her, waiting patiently for an explanation.

  
Rey looks into his eyes, trusting in her teacher despite her frustrations. “I’ve been having these… dreams at night. Or visions- I’m not sure exactly.”

  
Luke quirks an eyebrow curiously as she speaks.

  
“Jumbled images that I mostly can’t remember when I wake. But they all end the same.” Her gaze shifts downward as Rey brushes her hand over the rocky ground, scooping up a small stone and fiddling with it between two fingers.

  
“How do they end?” Luke prompts.

  
Rey meets his gaze tentatively. “In darkness,” she replies simply. “There’s a silhouette. A figure I can’t quite make out. It comes toward me, everything goes black… and then I wake up.”

  
A cool breeze rushes past them as Luke considers her words.

  
“It sounds like nothing more than a nightmare,” he finally says. “Force visions are typically much more clearly defined. You can easily recognize certain faces and events- even if you don’t understand them at the time. What you’re describing sounds more like an abstraction produced by fear. Are you afraid, Rey?” His tone shifts. “Because fear is the path to-”

  
“I know,” Rey interrupts, fully aware of the mantra he’s about to reference. “I don’t feel afraid,” she replies honestly.

  
“Very well, then. I wouldn’t dwell too much on these dreams. The more you fuel an idea, the more likely it is to overrule you. Next time you encounter such a nightmare, try to redirect it with your mind. Resume control of your own fate- even if it’s only in your head.”

  
Rey nods in agreement and a familiar chill courses through her body as if absent eyes are looming over the island. _Not now,_ she thinks, doing her best to push the feeling to the back of her mind. She doesn’t know why exactly, but Rey is desperately compelled to hide this from Luke. She’d done enough sharing for one day. He doesn’t need any reason to doubt her further.

  
“Are you feeling up to moving on in your training today?”

  
“Yes,” she insists eagerly.

  
“Very well,” Luke agrees against his better judgement. “Center yourself, and we shall begin.”

————————

The first couple days of working with the saber are awkward and inelegant, but Rey is a quick learner. It certainly helps that she’d grown up wielding a staff on Jakku. The technique is one thing, but the Force is quite another, and trying to marry the two with any kind of precision is difficult to say the least.

  
While Luke seems impressed with her rapid progress, Rey senses a wariness in his expressions as he watches her train. He never voices any concern outwardly, but the look in his eyes is deeply unsettling. Rey craves his approval, and yet is haunted by the silent observation which so often accompanies their training sessions.

  
However one day that lingering tension inevitably snaps.

  
“Again,” Luke demands, ordering Rey to swing the saber.

Apparently her form is off. Rey’s arms are tired and strained from a long day of hard work, but she obeys.

  
Feeling the ache in her muscles, Rey turns and swipes the weapon through the air, knowing she didn’t hit the proper positions.

  
“Again,” Luke says.

  
Rey takes a breath and furrows her brow, growing irritable from exhaustion. Another swing. Another miss.

  
“Again.”

  
This is pointless. She needs a break desperately. “Can I please-”

  
“You can take a break when you get it right,” Luke lays out plainly. “Again.”

  
Gritting her teeth, Rey closes her eyes. _Breathe,_ she reminds herself as Luke had so many times before. She gives herself time to concentrate, unintentionally channeling the frustration which had been building up inside her. She can feel the force swell like a current that would inevitably come crashing down. Gripping the lightsaber with a newfound ferocity, Rey slices through the air with a determined grunt.

  
She hits her mark with perfect form, but before either she or Luke can acknowledge it, the ground splits open beneath her feet with an unexpected _pop!_

  
Rey jumps back slightly, questioning the stability of the rocky terrain as she deactivates the weapon.

  
_Did I do that?_ She wonders naively.

  
Looking to Luke for an explanation, Rey is met with wide eyes and disapproval. “I’ve seen this raw strength only once before,” he declares humorlessly, recalling his nephew. “It didn’t scare me enough then...” Luke pauses as if thinking for a moment before nodding to himself in confirmation. “It does now.”

  
Rey stares at her master in disbelief. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  
“You’re _done_ ,” Luke replies resolutely, holding out his hand.

  
Rey’s heart sinks as she hands over the saber.

  
“I- I didn’t mean to…” she assures him, scrambling to justify what had just happened.

  
“I know you didn’t,” Luke retorts sternly with contempt. “Which is all the more terrifying.”

  
As the old Jedi turns and begins to make his way down the mountain, Rey’s emotions come to a head.

  
“You’re a coward, Luke Skywalker!” she calls after him accusingly. 


	2. First Contact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo and Rey communicate through their force bond for the first time.

Across the galaxy, aboard the star destroyer Supremacy, Kylo Ren enters his chambers after a long day of training under Snoke. He is visibly battered, but it’s the mental strain that truly takes it’s toll. The young knight enters his room, leaving the lights halfway dimmed to help quell his aching head.

Kylo methodically removes his helmet, and then the saber from his belt, glancing down at the object thoughtfully before placing it on the stand beside his bed. He proceeds to tug off his shirt and gloves, throwing the items down carelessly as he catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

His torso is not only scarred, but littered with fresh gashes and bruises from Snoke and his fellow knights. Where there should be stinging pain, Kylo feels nothing but numbness. This has become routine.

_This is not power. This is not clarity. This is torture._

Kylo snarls at his reflection, pounding his fist against the nearest wall as his anger, exhaustion and resentment get the better of him.

Too upset to attend to his wounds, Kylo slumps down on the end of his bed, holding his throbbing head in his hands and doing his best to slip into a meditative state- if for no other reason than to hide his conflicted feelings from the Supreme Leader.

Something feels off however. There’s a disturbance in the force that rolls over him in soft waves. 

 _The scavenger_. There’s no doubt in Kylo’s mind where the disturbance is coming from, but something isn’t right. He can feel her more clearly than ever- her negative emotions are practically palpable. Such is not the Jedi way.

Kylo sits up at attention, wondering what is going on. Focusing very carefully on her force signature, he reaches out as he had done so many times before. In fact it had become something of a game for Kylo- checking in on the girl randomly. She could always sense his presence, but didn’t understand what it was. This unique connection between them allowed the knight to routinely obtain a vague impression of what she is doing at any particular moment without forcing his way so deep into her mind as to make himself known. This time however, is different. This time Kylo wouldn’t hold back. 

* * *

A sudden storm erupts on Ahch-To, which seems fitting given the argument that had just transpired between master and apprentice. Despite the strong case she presents, Luke refuses to continue Rey’s training.

Tired and indignant, Rey trudges down the mountain through the rain, climbing aboard the Falcon for shelter. Once inside, she promptly bursts into tears.

Chewie comes running at the sound of her sobs.

“Waaaaaaarrrrggghhhh!” the Wookie cries out in concern.

Rey shakes her head, gently pushing him away. “Please leave me alone,” her voice comes out small and broken.

Chewie grows quiet, but watches his friend sympathetically.

Rey is embarrassed for anyone to see her like this. She never cries. 

“Leave me alone!” She demands uncomfortably.

Chewbacca takes the hint and hesitantly wanders back toward the main hold of the ship. Rey turns and heads for the cockpit. It’s her favorite spot on the vessel. The cramped space has a calming effect on her. It reminds her of Finn... and Han.

Rey wipes a streak of tears from from her cheek as the memories come flooding back. And amidst those memories, Rey senses something familiar. The same peculiar sensation that had been haunting her for weeks now. Only this time it’s stronger. This time the foreign presence is curious and prodding in her mind. She’d only ever felt anything like it once before... Rey swallows uneasily at the recollection.

 _No, it can’t be_! And yet the connection grows stronger even as she considers the possibility.

“Ben?” Rey whispers with apprehensive realization. The name falls from her lips effortlessly as if the force wills it to be said. She can think of a thousand other labels that would’ve been more appropriate.  _Ren. Monster. Murder. Ungrateful-_

Rey isn’t used to sharing a mental space and doesn’t realize how loudly she is projecting her thoughts. Still, of all the options, she had chosen to call him ‘Ben’.

Millions of miles away, Kylo stiffens, shocked that the scavenger dares acknowledge his existence, let alone use his given name. He finds the moniker surprisingly tolerable coming from her lips however, and makes no effort to correct her. 

 _Yes_ , a voice seems to emanate from within her mind- like a whisper in the night.  _I’m here_.

Rey sinks deeper into the pilot’s chair, hugging her legs to her chest and furrowing her brow in confusion. She is both amazed and terrified that they can communicate in such a manner. However, that sense of wonder is almost instantaneously replaced by terror. She can’t trust that monster in her head!

 _Don’t shut me out_ , the voice encourages. I _mean you know harm_. The pompous aggression Rey has come to associate with Kylo Ren is mysteriously absent from his tone. He seems...  _calm_ , which is unsettling in its own way. Rey ultimately decides to humor him for the time being, even though it feels wrong for them to be interacting. And perhaps subconsciously, that’s exactly why she does it- simply to spite Luke after their feud.

 _What’s going on?_  Kylo presses.  _I sense that you are... distressed._

Rey shivers at the ease with which he can perceive her emotional state. 

She bites her lip, understandably resistant to divulge anything to the man she considers her enemy. However, Rey’s self-doubt bubbles up to the surface as she recalls bits and pieces of her argument with Luke. 

 

> **“You’re a coward, Luke Skywalker!” She’d shouted. “I believed in you. The entire galaxy still believes in you. Is it too much to ask for you to believe in me?”**
> 
> **“Yes,” Luke had retorted sternly. “It is.”**
> 
>  

His words still sting. _I’m so confused_ , Rey admits to herself as much as to Kylo. Salty tears once again fall from her eyes.

 _You and Skywalker have had a falling out…_  Kylo observes, following her train of thought. Rey doesn’t realize how vividly she’s projecting her memories.  _Has he given up on you? So soon? The old fool..._ Kylo balls his hands into fists, more than irritated by his uncle’s ignorance. How could Skywalker disregard such potential in a pupil? With Rey, the resistance actually had a fighting chance at winning this war. Without her, well… Kylo is more than aware of the chaos that would soon befall the galaxy.    

 _He’s afraid of me_ , Rey adds after a long pause.

 _Why?_ Kylo questions, though deep down, he already knows the answer.

Rey pulls back then, slowly learning to control just how open their bond is. Kylo feels the resistance in their connection and panics, standing up as if he could somehow physically pull her closer.

The lingering silence agitates him, but Ren knows that if he forces his way back into the girl’s head, she may very well shut him out forever. He grits his teeth and waits. Sure enough, in time, and on her own terms, the scavenger’s voice returns. _He thinks I’m too much like you…_ she confesses earnestly.

Ren can feel her disgust and resentment towards Luke’s comparison of them. It nearly knocks the breath out of him, because if truth be told, Kylo wouldn’t want to be likened to himself either. He is a poor semblance of a force user, unable to commit himself fully to any one thing. This girl, on the other hand, is just beginning her journey. She has the potential for greatness.

 _Rey…_ Kylo coaxes gently.

It is the first time he’d addressed her by name, and enough to send Rey reeling back to her senses.

“I shouldn’t be doing this,” she mutters under her breath. It just felt so good to _confide_ in someone. Anyone. Even… Kylo Ren- as twisted as it is. But she’d already said far too much. She’d been foolish and careless.

Their bond becomes increasingly erratic, causing Kylo’s pulse to quicken.

 _I can help you, if you’ll let me…_  his offer is impulsive, but genuine, just like the first.

 _I need to be alone._ Rey abruptly severs the connection.

Kylo exhales, overcome with a sense of relief unlike anything he’d experienced in years. He knows what he has to do. 

 


	3. An Apology, A Proposal, and A Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo makes a rash decision, and Rey is less than willing to cooperate

Rey quietly makes her way to the ship’s hold where knows Chewie will be passing his time. Lingering in the doorway, she waits for the Wookie to notice her.

“I’m sorry,” Rey finally apologizes with a small smile. “I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

“Rrrrwwwgggg,” Chewbacca bellows in understanding.

“I’ll be fine,” she assures him. Though to be honest she isn’t so sure. “Just a rough day.” Rey sniffles lightly as she takes a seat across from her furry friend. “How about a game of holochess?” she suggests, desperate to take her mind off the more pressing matters at hand.

Chewbacca requires no further convincing.

* * *

“You’re certain?” Snoke’s rasping voice carries through the conference hall with a presence which matches the gigantic form of his projection.

“Completely, Supreme Leader. The girl admitted it to me directly.”

Kylo feels Hux’s gaze shift from their superior to him, confused by the knight’s words. Had Ren somehow been in contact with the very scavenger who’d so recently eluded them?!

Snoke stiffens in wary contemplation. “ _Directly_?” he questions. “You mean to say the two of you are bonded through The Force?” his query is laced with surprise.

“Yes, Supreme Leader,” Kylo affirms. _Kriff, he hopes this plan works in his favor. He knows it’s a risk. And an insane risk at that. But then again, he’d never been particularly level-headed._

“And you didn’t think to mention this until now?” Snoke presses suspiciously, his anger bubbling just below the surface.

“Despite my best efforts, it has only ever been a weak and one-sided connection until tonight,” Kylo explains half-truthfully. “It seemed irrelevant to our cause until now. The scavenger has made her vulnerability known. I am convinced this is our best course of action.”

“Mmmm,” Snoke considers Kylo Ren’s proposal skeptically. “She does have the potential to be a powerful ally…” The temptation practically oozes from the decrepit man’s voice.

Hux glances back and forth between Snoke and Ren, confused as to what exactly is going on.

“I will permit it,” the Supreme Leader finally agrees.

Kylo bows in head in respect, doing his best to shield the immense relief that washes over him.

“Gather the Knights,” Snoke orders. “You will leave straightaway. General, return to the bridge and have Ren’s ship prepared for departure.”

“Yes, Supreme Leader.”

And with that, the two men promptly turn on their heels and follow orders.

* * *

 

_Rey._

She stirs in her sleep.

_Rey…_

Waking slowly, Rey disgruntledly realizes what had coaxed her into consciousness. _What do you want?_ She asks irritably, too tired to push Ren from her mind.

_I’m coming to you._

Rey’s eyes shoot open wide in horror, and she’s on her feet before she knows what’s happening. _What?!_ She cries out mentally. He can’t possibly be serious.

_I’m coming to you_ , Ben repeats, confirming what she’d feared she’d heard.

_No, don’t! You can’t!_ she practically screams at him through their bond.

_Shhhhhhh_ , Kylo coaxes. _I’m doing my best to cloak my approach, but with outbursts like that you’ll alert the old man to my presence for sure._

_Old man?_

_Skywalker._ Ben clarifies. _I’d prefer to leave him out of this._

_What the hell is going on?!_ Rey demands, tired and hopelessly confused.

_I told you Rey, I’m coming for you. I want to help you. I have a plan, but you have to trust me…_

_I **don’t** trust you!_ She stomps her foot into the ground with the desperate frustration of a child. _I absolutely **DO NOT** trust you. Don't come here. You can’t. _

Kylo is quiet for a time. _Too late…_ he finally projects. Rey’s body goes numb as she senses him nearby.  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I really do appreciate it :)


	4. Come With Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey confronts Kylo on Ahch-To, and the knight confides in the scavenger in hopes of taking her on as his apprentice.

Rey is practically hyperventilating as she stands aboard the Falcon, paralyzed. _What is Kylo doing here?_ She wonders, clutching her chest apprehensively. Would she have to fight him off? She doesn’t even have a saber for maker’s sake! Luke took it away. 

_Kriff_ , Rey curses under her breath. _What have I done?_ She immediately regrets allowing that wretched man into her head. Doing her best not to wake Chewie, Rey tugs on her boots, grabs a blaster and steps out into the night, terrified of what she might find waiting for her.

It’s still raining lightly, making it difficult to see through the combination of darkness and atmospheric haze. Rey calms her breathing and closes her eyes, searching for Ben through the force. She senses him on the east side of the island, not terribly far away from where the Falcon is nestled on the coast.

Readying the blaster, Rey keeps her finger hovering over the trigger as she trudges forward toward her fate.

* * *

 

“We are here to procure the scavenger. Nothing more, nothing less,” Kylo clarifies for the Knights of Ren. “I will initiate negotiations. She will not come easily, but there are to be no offensive maneuvers without my orders. Understood?”

The group of six masked figures nod in silent unison.

“Good,” Kylo acknowledges firmly, boosting his own confidence through his authority. “Follow me. Fan out. Leave a ten-yard radius and await my command.”

“What about _Skywalker_?” one of the knights- Darius Ren- asks out of turn, practically seething with disgust as he utters the name.

Kylo clenches his jaw beneath his mask, doing his best to remain calm at the mention of his uncle. Snoke’s voice echoes in the back of his mind.

 

> _“Once the scavenger is acquired, make certain that the old Jedi doesn’t live to see another day.”_
> 
> _Kylo’s blood ran cold. “Supreme Leader,” he’d interjected nervously. “I fear that killing Skywalker now will eliminate any chance of swaying the girl to our side.”_
> 
> _Snoke shrugs off his apprentice’s concern disinterestedly. “With your training, I trust you can accomplish both tasks. If not… don’t bother coming back.”_
> 
> _Kylo bows his head in understanding. “Yes, master. I will not fail you.”_
> 
>  

“Sir?” Darius interrupts, bringing Kylo back to reality. He glares at the man in annoyance.

“Skywalker is the only leverage we have. No one is to lay a hand on him until the scavenger is aboard this vessel in our custody,” Ren lays out plainly.

“And _then_?” Darius presses, clearly out for blood.

Kylo pauses. “What happens after that is of no consequence to me,” he retorts with as much nonchalance as he can muster. Snoke wants Luke dead and while Kylo knows he doesn’t have it in him this time, he also doesn’t have a plan. He’d acted, as he often did, on impulse; following some deep-seeded, selfish need to connect with Rey. Beyond that, nothing else seemed important… until now.  

_What the hell am I doing?_ Kylo wonders desperately as the group of knights descend from the command shuttle and step foot on the rain-soaked ground of Ahch-To.

It doesn’t take Ren long to locate Rey. Her energy calls out to him like a single star in an otherwise dark sky. He holds a hand up toward his knights, reminding them to keep their distance as he senses the scavenger approaching in the darkness. They fan out in a loose semi-circle formation behind their master- thankfully outside of ear’s reach.

Rey steps forward through some trees, blinking away the rain that lingered upon her lashes.

There is a moment of solemn silence as the adversaries regard one another, each unsure of how to proceed.

“What are you doing here?” Rey finally asks defensively.

“I told you, I’m here to help you,” Kylo replies, perfectly composed.

Rey glances past him, just barely able to make out the silhouettes of his knights through the thick, moist air. “Is that why you brought your murderous cult along?” she spits accusingly.

Kylo takes a step forward, eager to explain.

“Don’t come any closer to me,” Rey warns, aiming her blaster at his head.

Kylo scoffs with a light sigh. “You know perfectly well that thing in your hand is useless. But by all means, if it makes you feel better, keep pointing it at me.”

She does.

“What. Do. You. Want?” Rey asks again, insistent.

Kylo hesitates, building a fortress in his mind to block out anything and everything but Rey. When he is confident they are alone, Kylo projects his answer through their bond.

_I want you to help me bring down my master- Snoke._

Rey’s eyes widen in disbelief. “What _?”_

_Think,_ Kylo wills her sternly. _Don’t speak._ He couldn't risk the Knights of Ren learning of his intention to commit treason.

The scavenger meets his cold, steely gaze through the anonymity of his helmet, clumsily attempting to converse with her mind.

_You’re lying…_

_No, Rey. I have a plan. I’ve seen your strength with the Force._

Rey shakes her head in stubborn denial.

_Let me take you on as my apprentice._

_No._

_Let me train you, and when the time is right, we’ll take down the First Order from the inside._

_What?_ Rey is utterly baffled. She feels no deceit in his words, and yet this has to be a setup. She is disgusted with Kylo for assuming she could be so easily swayed. And yet, a stronger feeling overtakes her- curiosity. _You expect me to believe you would abandon your cause so easily? After everything you've done?_

_There’s nothing **easy** about what I’m doing,_ Kylo assures her, his tone somber, even in their minds. _And I can’t just walk away. That’s why I’m here._

Rey slowly lowers the weapon in her hand, growing tired of holding it, and perhaps a bit too trusting of her enemy. _What do you mean?_

_If I leave, I’d be hunted down and executed within minutes on my own._ _But with you…_

Rey’s entire body tenses apprehensively. Kylo is placing a terrible burden upon her shoulders. Her initial instinct is to fiercely object, and yet she finds herself willing to hear him out.  

_With me… what?_ She inquires hesitantly.

_Together, we might be able to accomplish something._

Rey scoffs at Kylo’s proposal, suddenly remembering who she is talking to. The young man standing before her seems to believe the past can be easily forgotten.

As if he _hadn’t_ abducted her.

As if he _hadn’t_ murdered his own father right before her eyes.

As if he _hadn’t_ injured Finn and then come after her on Starkiller Base.

Kylo is easily able to follow her train of thought. She is projecting again without realizing it. However, he can also feel the knights growing restless from afar- a mixture of confusion, curiosity and eagerness stirring amongst them. He knows he has to move things along.  

In an act of desperation, Kylo Ren reaches up and removes his helmet, hoping the friendly gesture would help Rey see the sincerity in his eyes.

She is torn. He can feel the force pulling her in multiple directions, just as it does to him. Kylo cringes inwardly, cursing his own empathy as weakness.

_Rey…_ Kylo swallows tensely as he wills himself to open up to this girl. He knows honesty is the only way to gain her trust. _The conflict you’re experiencing right now… I’ve felt that my entire life. I was promised- first by my uncle, that I would be a Jedi. And then by Snoke- that I would be a Sith. But I’ve never fit either mold. Not really. The Force has been pulling me apart slowly my entire life and I would’ve given anything- done ANYTHING- to put my mind at ease._

Kylo can feel the rage and guilt stirring within his chest as he admits this. _Killing my father was supposed to set me free…_

He truly believed that. Rey can feel the man’s self-hatred slice through her own heart like a knife. It didn’t in any way justify his actions and yet, she can’t help but feel the tiniest bit sorry for him.

Kylo doesn’t want her pity.   _Obviously it didn’t work,_ he spits bitterly _. And that’s something I will have to live with the rest of my life. But I’m done being the galaxy's puppet. You keep asking what I **want?**  I want to live by my own rules. I want to exist without feeling like I have to fight my way through every moment of life. And in a way, isn’t that what you want too? To find some peace within the Force?_

Rey is taken aback by his words. Kylo is obviously far more intelligent and thoughtful than the unfeeling monster she’d made him out to be. It strikes the girl rather abruptly that she doesn’t really know anything about Han's son. And while Rey could never forgive his actions, she can feel the instability within him, desperately seeking balance. It scares her how similar his feelings resemble her own.

_This is insane,_ Rey tells herself, doing her best to block her thoughts from him. _You can’t really be considering his offer…_ She looks into Kylo’s deep brown eyes in silent contemplation.

To her immense surprise, he holds out a hand.

“Please,” he implores, visibly trembling in fear of her inevitable rejection. The young knight cannot recall ever having felt so vulnerable. “Come with me. I can help you. We can help each other.”

Rey takes a few tentative steps forward, never breaking eye contact. She searches for a crack in his emotional armor, waiting for the deception to inevitably flood through. But it doesn't. Her stern expression softens into one of wary acceptance as she slowly- reluctantly- places her slim fingers in his gloved palm.

Kylo looks down between them, unable to move. He can’t quite believe it. For the first time since his childhood, Ben Solo feels… _hope_. The scavenger's light is overwhelming, and Kylo feels as if he may drown as their Force energies intermingle.

Rey feels it too. This “bond” between them seems to become more durable as they stand in one another’s presence. Neither of them is sure what comes next.

Just as things begin to feel right however, there is a sudden rupture in the Force around them.

_Luke_.


End file.
